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The Islander - Thursday 22nd October 1998

Two Boats in Georgetown!

The expedition vessel MV "Explorer" visited Ascension at the weekend 64 passengers and 10 crew came ashore at Georgetown for a sightseeing tour of the Island. Invited guests from the Island were invited on board in the evening for a Barbecue. MV "Explorer" left Tenerife on 7^th October calling in on the Azores before arriving at Ascension. From Ascension she will visit St. Helena, Tristan and South Georgia with the cruise finishing at the Falkland Islands. The "Explorer" will return in October 1999.

The MV "Acila" anchored off Georgetown before sailing to Clarence Bay at 1530 hrs Thursday 15^th October with a 4000 tonne parcel of Diesel oil for the Power Station at English Bay. Fuel was discharged from 1230 hrs Friday 16th to 0200 hrs Saturday 17^th with final stripping completed at 0340 hrs. The tanker slipped and proceeded at 0800 hrs.

The "Acila" is a small 1200 tonne DW motor tanker, designed and built in Finland. She is fitted to a very high degree, in both navigational equipment and machinery; and with all modern comforts (even to the extent of an on-board Sauna). Powered by two 750 rpm Wartsila marine Diesels married to a single shaft; she is fitted with a controllable pitch propeller, an oversize rudder and bow thruster, which makes her highly manoeuvrable (ideal for the close confines of English Bay). Owned and operated by Shell International Trading and Shipping Company. Currently based in Abidjan, she carries a mixed crew of Indonesian crewmen and English and Croatian Officers. Her next port of call is Cotonou with a parcel of Jet oil.

Parish Church of St.Mary the Virgin.
Ascension Island (Diocese of St.Helena)

By the end of this week I shall have conducted my first wedding on the island, and preparations are on the way for another.

In November a baptism is already arranged, and there may well be a second in December. Fortunately I have not had to take a funeral yet, but these, along with memorial services, will no doubt come my way.

It is very heartening that the people of Ascension want God to be involved at these crucial points in their lives, whether to share in the times of great joy and happiness and hope or as a power beyond ourselves that we can reach out to for comfort and support in times of sadness.

It is only human nature that it is at such times that we feel we need him most; of course God is always there, and we need him all the time.

At All Soul's Tide at the beginning of November, the Church remembers especially our loved ones whom we have lost through death.

It seems to me that this is particularly important here on Ascension. Often when you are working away from home it is impossible to get back to attend a funeral to show your love and express your grief.

On Sunday, November 1^st at 6.00 p.m. we are holding a special service 'Remembering our Loved Ones' ' We acknowledge our loss; we shall sing hymns and hear readings that give comfort and hope. Those who wish to do so may light a candle in memory of someone who was - and still is- dear to them.

If you feel that this service is for you, please come. You will be very welcome.

NEWS FROM ASCENSION AUXILIARY AIRFIELD

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Mr. Paul Owen, Maersk Ascension Captain. His support during fuel pumpover operations has been superb. Additionally, his hospitality has been greatly appreciated during ceremonies, island sailings, and tours. While we will miss Paul, we still enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that the outstanding Maersk Ascension crew will remain and look forward to working with them in the future.

We still possess a number of marine floats and telephone poles that are available for the general public. Some floats were contributed to the Heritage Society and the Boy Scouts. A number of poles will be donated to the Boy Scouts for their annual Halloween bonfire at their beach hut. If you are interested in any floats, please call me at base extension 2200. Poles can be obtained by co-ordinating with Mr. Don Coffey at base extension 2204.

The subcontractor who will be performing the commissary kitchen construction project will be laying his material down shortly. It will eventually be necessary to close the road between the commissary and passenger terminal and the road directly in front of the passenger terminal. If you must drive or walk near this area, please obey the road closures and be alert for normal construction hazards. As the passenger terminal will be blocked by materials for the project and will become the temporary kitchen, all passenger terminal operations will be run out of the library in the interim.

As the holidays approach, I am beginning to sense anxiety about the reliability of travel plans. It appears there is an annual airlift arid sealift bottleneck to get personnel off island for their holidays and back on the island to return to work. Not that I expect any favoritism, but even I have been affected by this situation. I would ask that everyone on island work hard to accommodate personnel in their requests. As I have been here for over three months, I am amazed at our interdependence upon one another to successfully live and work on the island. Working together, I think we can alleviate most of this anxiety.

In a.matter of weeks, we should receive our annual flu shots. These shots are developed annually to combat the most common strains of flu. Technical Sergeant Rocha and I must have the shots as it is mandatory for US Air Force personnel to receive them. While highly encouraged, CSR personnel have the option to receive the shots. Ms. Janet Rentfro will administer this medication.

As I mentioned in a previous article, our parent wing, the 45th Space Wing, underwent an Operational Readiness Inspection to test our ability to perform our basic missions. The inspection went very well for the Wing. Of the five ratings you can receive on an inspection of this type, the 45th Space Wing received the second highest rating, Excellent. Obviously, our Wing Commander, General Starbuck, was very pleased with the efforts and ordered 5 October a down day for all 45th Space Wing personnel.

On 5 October, Technical Sergeant Rocha and I hiked seven letterboxes: Whitehorse, *Louie's ledge, Letterbox, Spire Beach, *Boatswain Bird View, Devil's Cauldron, and Weatherpost. As I hike more on the island, I have become more convinced that the letterboxes should be rated based on level of difficulty and safety hazards. The Administrator and I have talked on this subject. Based on his advice, I hope to work with the Historical Society to assist them in this endeavor. I strongly believe this rating system will allow novices to build up to the more difficult hikes and let hikers "know" what they're in for prior to striking out. The result should be hikers can more systematically tackle the letterboxes with a higher regard for their safety.

SCHOOL PAGE -
News from Two Boats School

Having reached the half-way point of the Spring Term, it seems an appropriate time to have a look at activities that have already taken place and those planned for the weeks leading up to the Christmas break As You read our news, the school is on its half-term break for three days (Wednesday 21 October - Friday 23 October).

Primary and senior pupils have been out and about on visits in connection with their class work. Some of these have included a visit to St. Mary's Church by Middle Two where Father Keith told them about ceremonial robes used for different occasions in the church. Lower School also visited the Church to look at the colourful stained-glass windows to add to their observation and knowledge about colour and pattern in the environment. Ten of our senior pupils who wrote the best Safety Journals during their two-week programme back in September were treated to a visit to the Maersk by Captain Paul Owen where they were given a guided tour and lunch. Thank you Captain Owen for your interest in the school and may we take this opportunity of wishing you well for the future as you leave our shores (by air) this week We look forward to your return some day.

Dentist Johnny and his able assistant June did a check-up on our pupils' teeth last week. .Johnny was seen squeezing his way through the corridors with a huge toothbrush and just-as-huge a tube of paste which were placed outside the Nursery door to warn us that he had moved in and was, in no uncertain terms, taking over for a while. Why he has to protect himself with these large threatening and bristly-looking tools we really don't know. We're quite harmless really which makes us think that our Dentist is softening having reached his prime in life! Anyway we got through the check-up without any 'tricks' this time ........ or did we? The children, as usual, enjoyed the check-ups and came away clutching little dental pressies which will, I'm sure, enhance their smiles even more.

In a joint effort to encourage our Primary school to learn more about the hazards and dangers of fire and how to avoid them, CSR and SERCO Fire Officers spent a very worthwhile and interesting afternoon at the school talking and demonstrating to a very receptive audience. The children were given very nice picture colouring sets and helmets to remember the occasion, and also to remind them of the many important aspects of fire safety. Thank you Debbie, Colin, Chris and Sam.

Parents and friends joined us in our assembly on Friday, 16 October, during which time the school gave thanks for harvest-time through song, poetry, readings and prayers. The timing of our assembly coincided with World Food Day, so we gave thought to those people of the world who are much less fortunate than ourselves. Father Keith addressed those assembled on the meaning of unity and the importance of working together for a common good. Once again, there was an excellent response to our invitation to donate tinned goods, books and magazines for a needy group of people in St. Helena. These generous donations will he sent on the next voyage of the RMS, so thank you parents and friends for your generosity. Should there he any other people in the community, who would like to add to the collection, please do send your gifts to school. I'm sure the children would he happy to bring them in for you, if you so wish.

The senior school spent what is normally their games afternoon at the Saints beach hut on Friday at a little 'farewell do' to say thank-you to Chris for the time she has spent in the sector giving off her artistic skills to them. Judging by their good wishes and comments, Chris will he missed by all the children and we thank her for the work she has put into their art sessions to stimulate and draw from them their own artistic skills and an appreciation for the subject. Thank you Chris and we wish both You and Graham well for the future.

This is planned for Monday, 26 October. Please contact your organisation's representative if you wish them to raise any matters of a general nature.

The first of its kind for this school year will be held on Thursday, 29 October, when parents are invited to come into school to discuss their children's progress with their teachers.

This year's Christingle Service is planned for Sunday, 6 December to take place in the evening at 6 p.m. in St Mary's Church. Please make a note of this date and attend this special celebration with us.

Teachers are in the process of organising events for this festive season. It is planned that such events will include a programme of entertainment and a Christmas Carol service to bring our term to an end on Friday, 11 December. Details of these events will be made known nearer the time.

267 Field Squadron depart Ascension

267 Field Squadron departs this Wednesday at the end of a month long exercise on the island. They completed all the construction tasks planned, by sheer hard work during the day, while enjoying themselves in the evenings as well.

A number of interesting observations have been made by Squadron members about life on the Island particularly in comparison to life in the UK. Firstly the almost complete lack of crime, people leaving their cars unlocked and even the keys in the ignition! This seems incredible in this day and age, and testimony to everyone's honesty on the Island. Secondly the great friendliness of all the people on the Island, everyone waves at each other as their cars pass.

We have a couple of amusing events to recount from our work on the Island. On one occasion when everyone was busy working on Corporal Jones site in Georgetown, a donkey walked up unnoticed and started to cat Corporal Kataria' packed lunch! On another occasion at a site near Wideawake airfield, a very experienced Officer who shall remain nameless, demonstrated how to saw through wood correctly and inadvertently cut through the workbench below!

Fishing News

During the last few weeks fishing started off being inconsistent but improved as the weeks have gone on. Some boat were catching while others while others were not. While the UK anglers were here there were lots of Wahoo strikes but not many landed. Rainbow Runner toping 12 strikes but landing only 3 Wahoo. Ocean Wave have 5 strikes but landing 1. But there was lots of action, Sea Spray taking a Yellow fin tuna of 200 pound and 10 others. Sea Arrow landing 2 Yellow fin tuna over 200 pound, both fish taken on the troll. Nice one.

There has been the odd Darado taken one being a good 30 pound. Clayton landed his biggest Tuna of 105 pound. I watched the fight between fish and he fought well.

This last week started with Fish Hawk taking a Wahoo on the way to Red dirt but loosing 10 Tuna to sharks on the way up. Wednesday Rainbow Runner brought to the pier head a Thresher shark of 400 pound. The brute took over two and a half hours to get to the boat and with the skill of Noddy I helped to tie it to the side of the boat. The first hit from the shark stripped the reel and the fight was long and hard. The shark was caught without a wire trace. I thank the people who helped to get it up the pier head steps and also Noddy who stayed calm while things got a little exciting.

While the Island slept on Sunday morning and the Sun was still down Fish Hawk set out early returning with 10 Yellow fin after being mobbed by file fish at the first mark. Rainbow Runner taking 7 Yellow fin 1 being 140 pound. There was one that got away! Sea Spray took 11 fish the biggest being a 110 pound Big eye tuna and the bob worked well surrounding the boat with fish. This is the second Big eye tuna caught over 100 pound in two weeks. The fishing seemed good but tonight (Monday) Fish hawk returned with only one Yellow fin.

There have been some very good returns of Grouper to be had from both the rocks and shallow water. Eels also have been taken in some numbers. The Ascension girl guides took to the water on a barge and had a very good catch of Grouper. Buffalo at the helm and Noddy and Clayton helping. Well done girls. Silver fish have been taken but not in good numbers. Steam brass were forced onto the shore by Black jack on Saturday and a good number were taken by hand. It is coming onto breeding time for the grouper now and the spotty fellas are carrying roe for all those who have a taste for it. I saw a Stone fish tonight caught from Rainbow Runner while grouper fishing. This beasty can swell a mans arm in minutes and is to he avoided. Its the first that I have seen. Red and ugly. If You catch one do not go near it unless you know what you are doing.

A little birdie told me of a mid week Cray fish bash. I think George has been at it again. But I never get offered any! On the whole fishing is good all round. So get to it.

Tight lines.

Nic Morewood

The Ascension Girl Guides take to the water on a barge

Internet News - Updates

Readers may be interested in noting that the Cable & Wireless website has just been updated with the On-Line Business Telephone Directory and the Ascension Island E-Mail Directory.

The Post Office page on the Administrator's website now has St.Helena as well as Ascension Island Christmas Issue stamps displayed on-line.